Fritz the Cat (1972)
Directed by Ralph Bakshi
Based on R. Crumb’s trailblazing comic strip of the same name, Fritz the Cat charts the “happy times, heavy times” of 1960s New York City as the metropolis teeters on the brink of apocalyptic revolution. The titular feline cons and copulates his way through a cast of crazed anthropomorphic characters—piggish cops, fast-talking Harlem crows, gullible co-ed cats, and so on—in Bakshi’s freewheeling directorial debut. A former Terrytoons animator, Bakshi cranks up the crude sexuality of Crumb’s comix while satirizing the violence and underlying racism often found in Golden-Age animation (looking at you, Disney and Warner Bros.). Paving the way for risqué cartoons like South Park and Adult Swim, Fritz the Cat, the first-ever X-rated animated feature, still resonates today. Max Kyburz (Apr 17, 18, midnight at the Nitehawk)